Cyclists pledge £45,000 to make glowing 'bike balls' dream come true

Bike Balls: a crowdfunding campaign raised £45,000 to support the production of the testicle-shaped lights (Picture: Kickstarter/Bike Balls)

Bike lights shaped like glowing testicles moved a step closer to the mass market after their inventors raised £45,000 with a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign.

The safety light concept, dubbed Bike Balls, has proved wildly popular with the designers smashing their original target of £5,800 (or $11,000 in Canadian dollars) after winning the support of thousands.

The Kickstarter campaign closed today after more than 2,000 people pledged a total of $85,663 (about £45,000) - nearly eight times the target sum.

The novelty lights will cost about $13 (£6.80) and were devised by a team in Toronto, Canada, to aid cyclist visibility. They dangle from below the seat and glow pink after being turned on with a squeeze.

Launching their campaign on Kickstarter, designers Scott and Holly wrote: "As cyclists who regularly ride in the city, we are vulnerable to distracted and neglectful drivers.

"We wanted to do something to change that and have some fun while doing so.